Good News
by Tifa246
Summary: Oneshot. Post-game. VinTi: Vincent decides to watch some TV, when a news story piques his curiosity...


Author's Note: Okay, so it's been about… 5 years? 6? Since I last wrote a fic. Be gentle.

I used to write stories about the CloTi pairing, but I was drawn towards VinTi a good few years ago. What's not to like about VinTi, eh? I'm just so rubbish at writing about them though! I know what I want to happen in my head and it doesn't usually come out the way I want it to. That's why I prefer to read works from thelittletree, The Tiramisu of Impeding Doom, Darknightdestiny and so on. Absolutely amazing work, guys.

So, let me know what you think!

Disclaimer: You know the drill. I only wish I owned Vincent… Tifa and Yuffie. I made up the others characters.

Good News

Late one afternoon, a worn-out Vincent Valentine was absent-mindedly pacing his residence in a hope to find something with which to relieve his boredom. His exhausted brain was not ready to soak up a good book, but his mind was aching for entertainment. He had already been to the bathroom and had a long shower, but staring at the same set of tiles for half an hour did nothing to stop the overactive drive to occupy his mind. A trip to the kitchen to raid the cupboards also proved to be unsuccessful and he was in danger of comfort eating should he return. That stash of dark chocolate was so painfully tempting, and he did not even have to smell it to know this.

It had been 3 weeks since the gang had defeated the silver-haired villain, Sephiroth. Vincent had been travelling alone, hoping that he would find some peace after his companions and he saved the planet from total destruction. Since parting from his friends, he had begun to hunt for fiends which were a threat to towns and cities.

As if he hadn't done enough for the Planet.

It was then that he decided to purchase a small, detached house in Kalm. It was no longer necessary to stay in a hotel each night, and with the money he had earned from battles and rewards for protecting the area from monsters, he had more than enough to buy his own place.

He missed the company of his AVALANCHE friends, though he did not care to admit it. He used the time leading up to their forthcoming reunion to reflect on his past feelings for Lucrecia, none of which he harboured for her now. He allowed himself to be free of guilt for the events which had tortured him and tore him up until not so long ago, and to think about the here and now.

His romantic feelings had been reignited and burned much more intensely than before, and they were directed at one of his former teammates. He was incredibly fond of the brunette martial artist, there was no denying it. Physically, no woman could compare to Tifa. Her curvaceous figure was a delight to regard, her long, midnight hair a sight to behold. When she flicked back her long tresses, it was almost a test of character for Vincent; a test to see if he could resist reaching out to grab a fistful, to feel the silk strands through his fingers. He would not have allowed himself the selfish pleasure of doing so. The timing could never be right, when there was such a great threat to the Planet to focus on. Her claret eyes, similar to his, were not afraid to look into his, and they bore into his being whenever their eyes met. Her physical strength was a force not to be reckoned with. Emotionally, she was different to the other AVALANCHE members. She was their support, their surrogate mother of some sort and their light in dark times. Yes, he had always seen her as a bright and shining light which had drawn him from the darkest of shadows. He admired her emotional stance regarding her childhood friend, and held high regard for her for choosing a different path to regaining control of her life than the one he sought.

Worn from hunting earlier in the day, his aching muscles begged for rest, and he succumbed by taking a seat on the chocolate leather sofa in the living room. A noticeable bulk under his right thigh was brought to his attention, and his response was to search for the source of his discomfort. To his relief, he had not sat on anything of value, only the remote for the rather large television set which faced him…

Bingo. Vincent lifted the remote towards the screen and, with his human thumb, pressed the red button to turn the device on. The screen illuminated, and the first set of images to appear were that of an anime cartoon. He watched for a mere four seconds as two children were battling against one another in an arena with the aid of small creatures.

_Hmmm… No, not today._

From there, he pressed another button. This time, to change the channel. The next programme was a hospital drama, where a patient was having a heart transplant.

_NO! Anything but surgery… The memories…_

He may have learned to let go of some things, but the flashbacks were still raw in his mind. The cries, the manic laughter, the experiments on his body… They proved too much for him and quickly changed the channel.

The next was a children's programme about counting and colours. A bright purple dinosaur started to sing a song and encouraged the viewers at home to join in.

…

He let out an exasperated sigh and was ready to give up on the supposed source of entertainment._Why did I buy this confounded device? If the next programme I change to bores me to tears, I swear I'll… _

To Vincent's undeniable dismay, the next channel was a news channel. A clean-shaven middle-aged man was sat behind a news desk with a pile of papers, giving the news headlines of the day.

_Great. In my Turk days, someone once told me 'the evening news is where they begin with "good evening" and then proceed to tell you why it isn't.'_

However, it seemed that on this rare occasion, the statement would not hold water.

"… And on a more positive note, Avalanche members Yuffie Kisaragi and Tifa Lockheart have volunteered themselves to aid in a charity event to raise money for the construction of a medical centre in Edge. Ted Williams has more."

This grabbed Vincent's attention like nothing else could, and his eyebrows lifted to the high heavens. He was aware that Tifa and Yuffie had been travelling together for the last few weeks, but he did not expect them to make the headlines as a pair. At the mention of Tifa's name, the corner of his mouth and the strings on his heart pulled simultaneously.

The news anchor turned to watch another screen as he passed the story over to the veteran news correspondant, who was standing on the pavement of a street on the outskirts of Edge city centre.

"That's right, Bill. It's a glorious afternoon here in the city of Edge, and the two female fighters had been wandering this street just here…" He indicated with a pointing of his finger.

"A man by the name of Marco Dalziel had stopped them in the street and asked them if they'd help to organise a charity event for a medical centre to be built here in the city. Here's what they had to say."

The camera cut to an interview with the brunette who stole his thoughts minutes earlier. Tifa's skin was tanned from her trip and her dark locks were tied up, wearing a red bikini and black shorts from what he could see. For lack of a phrase to accurately describe his state, he was in his element.

"So, Miss Lockheart, why carwashing?", the reporter asked.

"Well, why not?", Tifa began. Vincent grabbed the remote as if it might vanish and held his thumb on the 'volume +' button. "It's a really good day for it, weather-wise…" She wiped her brow with her forearm, if not to emphasise the weather condition, then to show how hard she had been working.

"And it's for such a good cause. I know that when AVALANCHE were travelling, we relied heavily on alchemy and such. Plus, it's been a lot of fun. Water fights have been non-stop!" This statement elicited a giggle from her and a short burst of laughter from the reporter and, unknowingly, a smirk followed by a low chuckle from Vincent at home, undecided as to whether it was from her contagious laugh or from being totally overwhelmed.

"And how much have you raised so far?"

"I'd say around 350 gil, if not more. Any money's good for charity, no matter how little… I've really enjoyed myself". Vincent realised after some time that he had been distracted from her words by her flat, toned stomach and her very appealing bikini top. He was a man, after all, and she had the body of a goddess.

"Well, thank you for your time, Miss Lockheart. Back to you in the studio, Bill."

For once, Vincent was glad he bought the TV from Reeve.

------

I know there's nowhere near enough VinTi stories on here, so let's up the number!

I got the idea for this story when I was lying in the garden yesterday, getting burnt to a crisp. I'm paying for it today... I had my iPod on shuffle, and Christina Aguilera's version of 'Carwash' came on. I just thought 'That's it!' and jotted down some notes.

Here's a little bit which would have made the rating go up a little higher - This bit is rated **M**:

//On closer inspection, Vincent notice something which his mind could not comprehend, but his body was already reacting to. A droplet of water from her wet hair had dripped onto her chest and was slowly dripping down the front of her. His mind was eager for the droplet to keep going to where he already knew it was heading, but the droplet paused in its tracks, leaving a trail behind it which glistened on her cinnamon-coloured skin. Vincent's frustration was apparent, with the huff of annoyance which escaped him and the constriction in his combat trousers. As Tifa changed her position whilst talking to the reporter, the droplet was back on track and disappeared between her cleavage. Vincent let out a breath he didn't realise he was holding.//

Er… ^_^' I don't know what came over me when I wrote that bit. Reviews, please!


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